Souray rejects offer … Oilers pick is costly … Likely Leafs scenarios … Leafs off Nash’s trade list … Penner wants to re-sign
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  • Mark Spector via twitter: The Oilers won’t trade their 1st overall draft pick. They won’t decide until Thursday night or Friday morning on who they’ll draft. The 1st overall pick is too costly. The Maple Leafs would have to include Jake Gardiner. The Canadiens would have to include P.K. Subban. Neither team is willing to do that, so the Oilers will likely keep the pick.
  • Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: Players like Patrick Kane, Rick Nash, Jay Bouwmeester and Roberto Luongo could be available for trade. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter appear to top the free agent market. The Maple Leafs may be looking to add a veteran goalie (maybe Luongo), veteran leadership and possibly moving up to grab the 1st overall pick. They would have to give up some assets to do so. Luke Schenn’s name is rumored, teams like Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri’s development is debated by some. Likely scenarios:

     • A play for Luongo that might cost one good prospect.

    • A mid-range NHL free agent.

    • An aggressive bid for unsigned Anaheim blueline prospect Justin Schultz.

    • No deal for Nash who may have scratched Toronto from his list of preferred destinations anyway.

    • No move up from No. 5 in the draft and therefore ending up with a blue-chip youngster who will be back in junior or Europe next season.

  • Damien Cox via twitter: Cox doesn’t think the Maple Leafs will make a major play to get the 1st overall pick. “They wouldn’t move Schenn or Gardiner for the pick, let alone a flip.”
  • Damien Cox via twitter: Chatter that the Maple Leafs are no longer on Rick Nash’s short list of teams he’d accept a trade too.
  • Damien Cox via twitter: Belief is that the Maple Leafs will be one of many teams going after defenseman Justin Schultz.
  • Curtis Zupke of NHL.com: Dustin Penner said that he’d like to re-sign with the Kings, and may be willing to take a bit of a paycut. Penner carried a $4.5 million cap hit.
  • Will DePaoli via twitter: The Penguins have made a qualifying offer to Matt Niskanen and are interested in a multi-year deal.